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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Platform as a Service
  4. Realtime Backend API
  5. Firebase vs Strapi

Firebase vs Strapi

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Firebase
Firebase
Stacks42.5K
Followers36.0K
Votes2.0K
Strapi
Strapi
Stacks720
Followers1.3K
Votes277
GitHub Stars70.2K
Forks9.2K

Firebase vs Strapi: What are the differences?

Introduction

Firebase and Strapi are two popular backend solutions for building web applications. Although they serve a similar purpose, there are key differences between the two platforms that set them apart. In this comparison, we will explore six distinct differences between Firebase and Strapi.

  1. Pricing Model: Firebase offers a pricing model based on usage, where users pay for the resources they consume, such as data storage, API calls, and bandwidth. On the other hand, Strapi is an open-source solution that allows users to host their backend for free on any server. However, users are responsible for the server costs and any additional services they choose to integrate.

  2. Database Integration: Firebase provides a NoSQL real-time database as its primary data storage solution. It allows easy synchronization of data across multiple clients, enabling real-time updates. In contrast, Strapi offers support for various database options, such as MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and MySQL, giving users the flexibility to choose a database that best fits their project's requirements.

  3. Authentication and Authorization: Firebase offers built-in authentication services, providing features like email/password authentication, social media logins, and third-party integrations. It also includes configurable user roles and permissions to handle access control. Strapi, on the other hand, provides a highly customizable and extensible user management system, allowing developers to define their own authentication and authorization mechanisms based on their application's specific needs.

  4. Serverless versus Self-hosted: Firebase is a serverless platform, meaning users don't have to worry about infrastructure management. It handles scaling, load balancing, and server maintenance automatically. In contrast, Strapi is a self-hosted solution, giving users complete control over their infrastructure. This allows for easy customization, but also requires users to set up and maintain servers.

  5. Modularity and Customization: Strapi is designed with a modular architecture, allowing users to easily extend and customize its features using plugins. Developers can create custom plugins or choose from a wide range of community-built plugins to add additional functionality. Firebase, while providing a rich set of built-in features, offers less flexibility for customization and extensibility.

  6. Integrated Services: Firebase provides a suite of integrated services, including hosting, cloud functions, cloud storage, and real-time messaging. These services seamlessly work together and can be easily integrated into Firebase projects. Strapi, being a headless CMS, focuses primarily on backend functionality and doesn't include direct integrations for services like cloud hosting or serverless functions. However, it provides APIs and webhooks that allow developers to connect with any external services they require.

In Summary, Firebase offers a serverless backend platform with real-time database capabilities and integrated services, while Strapi is an open-source self-hosted solution with extensive customization options and support for multiple databases. The choice between the two depends on factors such as project requirements, scalability needs, and development preferences.

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Advice on Firebase, Strapi

Jared
Jared

Contractor at Insight Global

Aug 9, 2019

ReviewonFirebaseFirebase

I started using Firebase over 5 years ago because of the 'real-time' nature. I originally used to use Real Time Database, but now I use Cloud Firestore. I recommend using the Google Firebase PaaS to quickly develop or prototype small to enterprise level web/mobile applications. Since Google purchased Firebase, it has exploded and it growing rapidly. I also find some level of comfort that it is Backed by Google.

272k views272k
Comments
Noam
Noam

Jul 16, 2020

Needs adviceonNode.jsNode.jsExpressJSExpressJSReactReact

We are starting to work on a web-based platform aiming to connect artists (clients) and professional freelancers (service providers). In-app, timeline-based, real-time communication between users (& storing it), file transfers, and push notifications are essential core features. We are considering using Node.js, ExpressJS, React, MongoDB stack with Socket.IO & Apollo, or maybe using Real-Time Database and functionalities of Firebase.

1.15M views1.15M
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Firebase
Firebase
Strapi
Strapi

Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications. Simply add the Firebase library to your application to gain access to a shared data structure; any changes you make to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.

Strapi is100% JavaScript, extensible, and fully customizable. It enables developers to build projects faster by providing a customizable API out of the box and giving them the freedom to use the their favorite tools.

Add the Firebase library to your app and get access to a shared data structure. Any changes made to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.;Firebase apps can be written entirely with client-side code, update in real-time out-of-the-box, interoperate well with existing services, scale automatically, and provide strong data security.;Data Accessibility- Data is stored as JSON in Firebase. Every piece of data has its own URL which can be used in Firebase's client libraries and as a REST endpoint. These URLs can also be entered into a browser to view the data and watch it update in real-time.;Real-time Synchronization- Firebase takes a new approach to the way data is moved around an app. Rather than using a traditional request & response model, it works by synchronizing data between devices. Whenever your data changes, all clients are immediately notified within milliseconds. The synchronized data is also persisted, allowing new clients to be immediately updated.;First-class Data Security- Traditional applications intermix security code with application code, whereas Firebase treats security as a first-class feature. You define your security policies in one place using a flexible rules language, and Firebase ensures that they are consistently enforced across all parts of your application. Having all your security logic in one place allows for easy auditing and helps you avoid security mistakes. The safety and security of your data is our top priority.;Automatic Scaling- The Firebase API is built from the ground up for performance and scale. Whenever your data changes, Firebase calculates the minimum set of updates required to keep all your clients in sync. In addition, all Firebase API functions are designed to scale linearly with the size of the data being synchronized. More importantly, Firebase handles all of the scaling and operations for you. Your app will scale from its first user to its first million without any code changes.;Servers are Optional- Firebase can provide all of the data storage, control, and transmission needs of most apps. In many cases, Firebase can completely replace your server and server-side code. This means you no longer need to build complicated backend software and can instead focus on your application logic and your customers.
Files structure; Controllers; Filters; Models; Attributes; Relations; Many-to-many; One-to-many; One-to-one; One-way; Lifecycle callbacks; Internationalization; Plugin; Plugin styles; Policies; Global policies; Scoped policies; Plugin policies; Public assets; Requests; Responses; Routing; Role-based access control; Services;
Statistics
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
70.2K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
9.2K
Stacks
42.5K
Stacks
720
Followers
36.0K
Followers
1.3K
Votes
2.0K
Votes
277
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 371
    Realtime backend made easy
  • 270
    Fast and responsive
  • 242
    Easy setup
  • 215
    Real-time
  • 191
    JSON
Cons
  • 31
    Can become expensive
  • 16
    No open source, you depend on external company
  • 15
    Scalability is not infinite
  • 9
    Not Flexible Enough
  • 7
    Cant filter queries
Pros
  • 57
    Free
  • 40
    Open source
  • 28
    Self-hostable
  • 27
    Rapid development
  • 25
    API-based cms
Cons
  • 9
    Can be limiting
  • 8
    Internationalisation
  • 6
    A bit buggy
  • 5
    DB Migrations not seemless
Integrations
Trigger.io
Trigger.io
Famo.us
Famo.us
Backbone.js
Backbone.js
Ember.js
Ember.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
React
React
Twilio SendGrid
Twilio SendGrid
Node.js
Node.js
Ruby
Ruby
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL
Gatsby
Gatsby
Google App Engine
Google App Engine
Hugo
Hugo
Flask
Flask
Apache Cordova
Apache Cordova
Angular
Angular

What are some alternatives to Firebase, Strapi?

WordPress

WordPress

The core software is built by hundreds of community volunteers, and when you’re ready for more there are thousands of plugins and themes available to transform your site into almost anything you can imagine. Over 60 million people have chosen WordPress to power the place on the web they call “home” — we’d love you to join the family.

Socket.IO

Socket.IO

It enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.

Drupal

Drupal

Drupal is an open source content management platform powering millions of websites and applications. It’s built, used, and supported by an active and diverse community of people around the world.

PubNub

PubNub

PubNub makes it easy for you to add real-time capabilities to your apps, without worrying about the infrastructure. Build apps that allow your users to engage in real-time across mobile, browser, desktop and server.

Pusher

Pusher

Pusher is the category leader in delightful APIs for app developers building communication and collaboration features.

Ghost

Ghost

Ghost is a platform dedicated to one thing: Publishing. It's beautifully designed, completely customisable and completely Open Source. Ghost allows you to write and publish your own blog, giving you the tools to make it easy and even fun to do.

SignalR

SignalR

SignalR allows bi-directional communication between server and client. Servers can now push content to connected clients instantly as it becomes available. SignalR supports Web Sockets, and falls back to other compatible techniques for older browsers. SignalR includes APIs for connection management (for instance, connect and disconnect events), grouping connections, and authorization.

Wagtail

Wagtail

Wagtail is a Django content management system built originally for the Royal College of Art and focused on flexibility and user experience.

OctoberCMS

OctoberCMS

It is a Laravel-based CMS engineered for simplicity. It has a simple and intuitive interface. It provides a consistent structure with an emphasis on reusability so you can focus on building something unique while we handle the boring bits.

Ably

Ably

Ably offers WebSockets, stream resume, history, presence, and managed third-party integrations to make it simple to build, extend, and deliver digital realtime experiences at scale.

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